As the warmer months arrive, so do the flies. They're a total nuisance in any home, flying in through your windows and doors and buzzing around your food — and you.
Getting rid of them usually involves purchasing some nasty traps and unsightly gadgets. Fly tape sounds great, but it certainly doesn't look great, especially when it starts collecting flies. Sure, there's 5 daily steps to follow to prevent fruit flies, but we want to banish them.
So, what if I could tell you that you don't have to use any of these things? That, according to experts, there's a common fridge ingredient that could do all the hard work for you and is a natural deterrent. The ingredient in question? Cucumber.
Why does cucumber repel flies?
Glen Peskett, DIY expert at Saxton Blades, reveals: "Flies hate the scent of cucumbers, particularly more bitter ones, so it's a natural deterrent for flies." I also hate cucumber, but this is certainly giving me a reason to love it.
He explains that all you have to do is lay cucumber slices around your home and you'll create a natural barrier. For the best results, he adds: "Place slices near windowsills, doorways, or any other areas where flies tend to gather, like the bins."
To ensure they're effective, you'll need to replace the slices every few days because what flies do love is rotting food. But, considering how inexpensive cucumber is and how you probably already have it in your fridge, it's a very low expense to tackle a big problem.
A toxin-free approach is always an excellent way of deterring flies as you avoid introducing harmful chemicals to your home, which also means you're reducing the risk of allergens or other side effects. Win-win.
Other deterrents worth considering
Cucumber won't get rid of all of the flies in your home, but it'll certainly act as a solid first line of defence. Fortunately, Glen has a few other suggestions to use alongside it.
To further help the plight against flies, he recommends also actively keeping windows and doors closed, limiting light at night because it lures the flies in, and taking your bins out regularly.
While cucumber is a smell flies don't like, rubbish in your bin is. Plus, when they get inside your bin, they can produce fly larvae which equals even more flies.
So, with one simple fridge ingredient and a bit of fly vigilantism, you'll have a home a lot less affected by buzzing sounds and annoying little visitors.
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